New to me 86 GN
- Thread starter kornball426
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Thanks, will post some pics, I like the 87 better to be honest, but the 86 definitely has a certain appeal being that they're at least 4 times rarer than the 87 (though rarity was never something that interests me, I just always wanted a Grand National 86 or 87 didn't really care). The CF5 option is also definitely rare, I heard it estimated that approximately 10% of all Regal's got the CF5 astro roof, so 500 give or take grand nationals got it, is the best guess I've heard. Makes it about as rare as a GNX lol... Though obviously without the price tag.
Yeah honestly I hate that fuel pressure gauge, that's gotta go. Think I'm going to redo the entire dash with black VDO vision gauges, has that stupid digital dash that just gives very basic information.
And yes I suspect the car was driven hard, there's a turbo tweak chip (along with 5 or 6 Kenne Bell chips that don't have markings I can understand) that is marked 25/23 (or maybe 23/21 I forget) timing and 26-28 lbs boost on 110 octane. Guessing the car probably went like a bat outta hell with that tune.
I don't know exactly, it'd be a pretty big job. Worth at least a few hundred to have the original harness checked and fixed to like new condition. Making sure all connections and grounds are solid. But that's why I asked, wanted to know if anyone does that kind of work and what they charge.
And oh, near Philadelphia PA.
Never heard anyone say too much oil pressure is a bad thing before.. LoL. However that does ease my mind just a little. Thanks. Maybe I should just keep my fingers crossed do the old "spring cleaning" as they say on the turbo Buick specific sites, and stop worrying so much, till I have a real reason to worry. Engine was dead cold when the seller started it, needed a jump, but it fired right up and seemed to run okay. Little rough on idle (think motor mounts are shot), but no real bad noises or anything.
Having had and built a bunch of Buick V6 engines I will tell you high pressure does more harm then good. This is especially true if it has a camshaft with a grooved front cam bearing to which high press will pull the cam gear downward and cut the bearing. I experienced this with the aftermarket front cover/pumps. After having this issue with 2 engines, I now run stock GM front covers and pumps with close to stock bearing clearances.
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Im glad you own it now, it sounds like it will be in great hands! And i always had a fetish for the CF5 option, and your right on the estimated %. My one 87 Gn has that option and the original owner informed me when i purchased it on its rarity, i think i paid for it too lol
Are you on Turbobuick.com? There are many posts on starting a long sitting TB. There are also recommendations for TB specific shops in that area for items that you don't want to tackle. If you happen to get it running I would not run those chips. I would pull the chip you have and see what it is. The kb chips have way too much timing for a today's fuel. You need to first get the systems checks out, either by you or by an expert. The oil pressure you have is fairly typical of a TB. Astro roofs are better than t tops for strength so you are ahead of the game there. Chances are there are many old school mods done it. I would definately replace the fuel pump with a Racetronix hotwire harness and pump. Next you need a scanmaster if you don't have one. Then a Turbo Tweak chip. This is after you know what you got for parts and what shape the engine is in. Don't get ahead of yourself until you know the health of the engine and transmission. It sat for a reason! You need to find out why...
I'm assuming it already has a hotwire kit for the fuel pump but I have not checked yet, it does have an accufab adjustable fuel pressure regulator on the fuel rail, which I would assume would serve no purpose without a hot wire at the very least, and I suspect something like a walbro 255 or something similar in the tank, but like I said I haven't checked yet, it's been cold and windy, or rainy at lot, don't feel like doing work in weather like that.
It does have a turbo tweak chip in it right now, but I don't know what kind of tune it has, pump gas, race gas, meth injection, etc. I am going to get a scanmaster, I'm actually surprised it doesn't have one already. Tempted to get a MS3 plug and play standalone so I can tune it myself and have multiple tunes that can be switched remotely without having to physically change parts, like a chip.
Is the gauge style scanmaster the same as the boxy one? I like the idea of being able to stick it in a gauge pod rather than Velcro to the dash the way a lot of them look.
The car does run... I'm just afraid to drive it because I'm afraid of doing damage to it, if it already hasn't been done. It has an adjustable waste gate, and some kind of manual boost controller, neither of which I know how to adjust. The boost controller just has a dial with a +/- sign on it. The turbine housing says Precision on it, so it's not stock, but I don't know what model turbo it is. It's also got a big aluminum griffin radiator with electric fans, external oil cooler and trans cooler plumbed with AN fittings. Front mount intercooler, again, obviously not stock. And considering the 28x10.5 slicks on the back, I imagine it's got more modifications that I haven't spotted yet.
For now stay with the TT chip. They are ery good. It will have some info on it so you can learn more about it. No alky kit? It needs octane for boost so it's possible the chip is for some level of race fuel or e85. The manual boost guage can just be dialed back, which is what I would do. The guage style sm is handy. It can do Bluetooth so if you eventually get a powerlogger (highly recommend ) it can connect to a laptop to wirelessly.
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